The latest selenium transactions, bids, offers and assessments in Europe reported to Fastmarkets.Unless otherwise stated, all prices are per lb and on an in-warehouse Rotterdam basis. Delivered prices are netted back.To view the latest price assessment for selenium, 99.5% Se min, in-whs Rotterdam, click here.To see all Fastmarkets'...Read More
The European charge and high-carbon ferro-chrome benchmark settlement remains under review for the second quarter of 2020, a leading ferro-chrome producer said. Merafe Resources, which operates the Glencore-Merafe Chrome Venture in South Africa with trader-miner Glencore provided an update on Thursday April 2 of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on its operations. The benchmark is settled every...Read More
Changes in the Asian ferrous scrap trade flows have seen imports in Taiwan and Vietnam shrink in 2019, but both territories raised their intake of Japanese material after exporters in Japan lowered their prices to generate more sales abroad on weakening domestic demand.Vietnam's scrap imports fell 1.1% to 5.58 million tonnes last year, but Japan-origin volumes to the country rose by 41.4% to 2.19...Read More
Markets are mixed and on average weaker this morning, Friday April 3, after the rally on Thursday following a 20% rise in oil prices faded. United States President Donald Trump seemed to distract the market after the dreadful US unemployment claims data on Thursday, by talking of a potential oil deal that would see 10-15 million barrels per day cut, but traders are skeptical after Russia denied th...Read More
U.S. equity index futures were lower this morning. S&P 500 futures were down 6 points in pre-opening trade.Index futures moved higher following release of the U.S. March Employment Report at 8:30 AM EDT. Consensus for March Non-farm Payrolls was a drop of 123,000 versus a revised gain of 275,000 in February. Actual was a drop of 701,000. Consensus for the March Unemployment Rate was an increas...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Wednesday April 1 that are worth another look.Spain's Ministry of Industry, Trade & Tourism has finally confirmed the steel industry is considered "essential" and can continue operating, albeit at a slower pace, the Spanish steel distributors association, UAHE, said on April 1.Arconic Inc has completed its separation into two standalone co...Read More
The three-month copper price on the London Metal Exchange was lower at the close of trading on Wednesday April 1, with price action shedding some $133.50 per tonne against moderate volumes, while continued inflows saw aluminium futures dip below nearby support.Copper's outright price on the LME closed at $4,800 per tonne on Wednesday afternoon, climbing from an intraday low of $4,769 per tonne, wh...Read More
The South African port authority is looking to reserve Durban port for the shipment of essential goods only, revoking a separate statement by the country's maritime authority to allow processing of metals cargoes during the 21-day lockdown, Fastmarkets has learned. The Transnet National Ports Authority, TNPA, insisted on April 1 that the current arrangements for usage of the busiest port in sub-Sa...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Wednesday April 1 that are worth another look.Spain's Ministry of Industry, Trade & Tourism has finally confirmed the steel industry is considered "essential" and can continue operating, albeit at a slower pace, the Spanish steel distributors association, UAHE, said on April 1.Arconic Inc has completed its separation into two standalone co...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Wednesday April 1 that are worth another look.Spain's Ministry of Industry, Trade & Tourism has finally confirmed the steel industry is considered "essential" and can continue operating, albeit at a slower pace, the Spanish steel distributors association, UAHE, said on April 1.Arconic Inc has completed its separation into two standalone co...Read More
The South African port authority is looking to reserve Durban port for the shipment of essential goods only, revoking a separate statement by the country's maritime authority to allow processing of metals cargoes during the 21-day lockdown, Fastmarkets has learned. The Transnet National Ports Authority, TNPA, insisted on April 1 that the current arrangements for usage of the busiest port in sub-Sa...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Wednesday April 1 that are worth another look.Spain's Ministry of Industry, Trade & Tourism has finally confirmed the steel industry is considered "essential" and can continue operating, albeit at a slower pace, the Spanish steel distributors association, UAHE, said on April 1.Arconic Inc has completed its separation into two standalone co...Read More
South Africa's 21-day lockdown aimed at curbing the spread of the Covid-19 virus has highlighted the cobalt market's dependence on the shipping route out of Durban. South Africa entered the lockdown - initially for three weeks - on Thursday March 26, creating uncertainty over loading at ports, including Durban, which is frequently used for the shipment of Democratic Republic of the Congo-mined cob...Read More
After months of virtual inactivity, supply worries from Russia, a major exporter of ferro-titanium to Europe, have sparked upward movement in European spot prices that may trend higher in the near term, trade sources told Fastmarkets. Fastmarkets' ferro-titanium 70% Ti, max 4.5% Al, ddp Europe price jumped by more than 10% week on week on Wednesday April 1 to $4.50-5.00 per kg from $4.10-4.50...Read More
Turkish steel producers remained quiet in the deep-sea scrap import markets while suppliers were unwilling to sell at current price levels, sources said on Wednesday April 1.The mills were mostly shunning scrap purchases because of the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak, which brought steel trade to a halt and caused mills to close or cut production.After several steel mills in the Izmir region were...Read More
Key data from Fastmarkets' pricing session in Europe on Wednesday April 1. Key drivers Russia, a supplier of 40% of European ferro-titanium, is on lockdown due to the Covid-19 virus pandemic until next week and it could be extended.Russian producers are considering declaring force majeure should the lockdown continue beyond a week. Titanium scrap prices are stable...Read More
China's Caixin manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) was released earlier on Wednesday April 1; it rebounded to 50.1 in March from 40.3 in February, which supports the rebound in the official PMI data released on Tuesday - another sign that purchasing managers reported conditions were just "better" in March than they were a month earlier.But the same was not true in Japan, where the final...Read More
South Africa's 21-day lockdown aimed at curbing the spread of the Covid-19 virus has highlighted the cobalt market's dependence on the shipping route out of Durban. South Africa entered the lockdown - initially for three weeks - on Thursday March 26, creating uncertainty over loading at ports, including Durban, which is frequently used for the shipment of Democratic Republic of the Congo-mined cob...Read More
Key data from the April 1 pricing session in London. Key drivers Benchmark metal prices continue to come under pressure from the spread of the Covid-19 virus, its dampening effect on the global economy and weakening demand from lockdowns on...Read More
China will extend the new energy vehicle (NEV) purchase subsidy and purchase tax exemption policy for two years in an effort to support consumption and mitigate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the economy. Yet the measures may not be sufficient to drive lithium and cobalt market development significantly in the near term, Fastmarkets heard. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang announced at a State Co...Read More